TAMPA, Fla. The fate of the Bears' scheduled Aug. 3 pre-seasongame in London against the Cowboys could be affected by the currentLibyan-U.S. military crisis.
"It's a whole new ballgame," said Dallas general manager TexSchramm yesterday, referring to the dramatic escalation of U.S.-Libyahostilities and the effect it could have on security conditionsthroughout Europe this summer. "I won't risk the lives of young men."
Bears head coach Mike Ditka was decidedly more blunt when askedabout Libya and the Bears' trip to London.
"I wish I had a machinegun on the plane," he said. "To me it'ssilly. I agree totally with our country and our actions. I don'thave any qualms about it."
Asked specifically about terrorist threats in London, he said,"That's OK with me. I love it. What are they gonna do? Bomb thestadium?
"We'll all go down in history as martyrs fighting for a causethat was beyond the control of most American people. People'll bewriting about us for years if that happens. I'm not worried aboutit."
After a pause, Ditka added, "I get too excited. You got me on abad topic."
But, he continued, "like people say, they should have done alittle better job cleaning up last (Monday) night."
Then he repeated: "You got me on a bad topic."
Like Schramm, Bears president Michael McCaskey also voicedheightened security concerns. But, he said, "I don't intend tochange the Bears' plans to fly to London and play Aug. 3. For us andthe NFL, the smartest thing to do is wait and see.'
The NFL was guarded. "It's too early to say whether this willhave an effect on the London game," said spokesman Dick Maxwell."Security will be part of our concern. It always has been."
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